


A Bond Stronger Than Forgetting

by aj_linguistik



Series: Yujikiri Week 2020 [1]
Category: Sword Art Online (Anime & Manga), ソードアート・オンライン - 川原礫 | Sword Art Online - Kawahara Reki
Genre: First Kiss, M/M, Past, Yujikiri Week 2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-14
Updated: 2020-03-14
Packaged: 2021-02-28 16:54:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,482
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23140528
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aj_linguistik/pseuds/aj_linguistik
Summary: For Yujikiri Week 2020 Day 1 using prompts Past and First Time.After losing consciousness in the cave from asking Selka to use his life to save Eugeo's, Kirito remembers a time when he shared a life with someone closer to him than anyone had ever been. A flaxen-haired boy with green eyes that smiled at him and warmed his heart...
Relationships: Eugeo/Kirigaya Kazuto | Kirito
Series: Yujikiri Week 2020 [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1663366
Comments: 6
Kudos: 57
Collections: YujiKiriweek2020





	A Bond Stronger Than Forgetting

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: I stayed up late last night because I was going to post this reaaally early but then I fell asleep playing Jackbox and I woke up LATE. ANYWAYS, yes, I'm back at it again almost a year later. This time, I wrote for Yujikiri week!! Shoutout to Claren and Bee for organizing things and making prompts. I hope you enjoy!

Memories that were long suppressed in my mind floated to the surface, filling the black space of my unconsciousness with a deep nostalgia. Memories of three playful children—the best of friends—going off on a daring adventure together in search of something innocent and born from the simple wishes of young hearts only to end in heartbreak. Memories that I should have held onto alongside Eugeo, so that he didn’t have to bear the burden alone.

They reminded me, too, of something deeper than just a forgotten memory. Of a bond stronger than any bond I’d ever formed before, even with someone like Asuna or my own family. My heart was connected to Eugeo’s in a very intimate, personal way that I found difficult to put into words. I’d shared a whole childhood with him, which is more than I could say for anyone I’d spoken to as a child back in the real world.

Images of trailing behind the flaxen-haired boy and the blonde girl as we played and worked and spent time at the local church flashed through my mind. Years of sharing my being and soul with these two people that had been buried in my subconscious were now in the forefront of my mind, filling my heart with a deep longing for the life I’d lived here.

Suddenly, Eugeo’s smiling face wasn’t just the warm face of a friend who’d let me in when I was a wandering stranger. He was more than that. He was the person I told all of my secrets to, the boy I’d shared all of my milestones with. This person shared a piece of my heart—a rather large piece, at that. He held it gently in his palms, careful not to harm it even with the slightest of mishandlings.

My mind focused on his form. He stood right in front of me. He reached one hand out to me, beckoning me closer to him. I took a step forward and reached out my own hand to place in his. His grasp was firm, but his hand was surprisingly soft. I knew this had to be a figment of my imagination, since Eugeo was a woodcutter—his hands were incredibly rough from seven years of hard labor. But my mind considered this touch to be delicate and smooth. He laughed and pulled me closer to him.

“I missed you, Kirito.”

There was a melancholy present in his eyes, one that told me he’d been yearning for me to return all of this time, not understanding what the hole in his heart was. His memories, too, had been locked away. What had that hole in his heart felt like? My chest tightened. I reached over to him and pressed my hand to his heart. I could feel his pain seeping out of his chest. How did he stand it? Day after day, patiently and quietly waiting for me to return to him.

Words I wanted to say but couldn’t were stuck in my throat. I’d forgotten him. It was a crime worse than killing others in self-defense back in SAO. I’d abandoned him in body and in spirit. Yet still, he smiled at me and welcomed me, as if that had never happened at all. His fingers slipped out of mine, and the next thing I knew he was pressing his palm against my cheek. Warmth spread across my face. I slowly lifted my hand and rested it against his, holding it there as if letting go meant he’d fade away from memory again.

My hand traveled up from his chest to his face. My fingers traced the form of his lips, of his chin, of his cheekbone, of his jawline. A sob mixed with laughter finally bubbled up from my chest. I shook my head and stroked his cheek with my thumb. His expression softened even more, alleviating the tightness of my chest.

“It’s you…” I cried. “It really is you.”

Eugeo nodded and gently pulled me into an embrace. I relaxed into his arms. The way he held me was so tender and pleasant. I slipped my arms around his waist, hugging him to me. I refused to wake up. This memory of this person was too dear to let it fade away as soon as my eyes snapped open. What if my mind forgot again? I could never forgive myself for forgetting twice. He was my world. My best friend. Perhaps something more than that.

“Please…don’t go,” I said, my voice cracking.

He let out a laugh.

“I’m not going anywhere, Kirito,” he said. “We made a promise, remember? To protect one another.”

Tears filled my eyes. That was right. I pulled my head back and gazed into his sparkling green irises. He caressed my cheek, still offering me that gentle, radiant smile. I pressed my head against his hand more. We’d promised. He wasn’t going to vanish. I wasn’t going to forget. The feelings within my heart were true. I’d lived a childhood with him and formed a real bond. It didn’t matter that it had been within the STL. The sentiments between us were real.

An image of two young boys, sitting beneath the Gigas cedar sharing their lunch with a girl of the same age, came to the forefront of my mind. They stuffed the home-baked goods into their mouths while the girl told them to slow down before they choked. After they’d scarfed down their meals, their conversation turned oddly serious. They wondered what would happen if one day something happened that might harm one of them. The black-haired boy smiled softly and turned to his friends.

“I’ll protect you both! I promise!”

And then the flaxen-haired boy jumped to his feet.

“Me, too!” he said. “I’ll protect you both, too!”

The girl, huffing, crossed her arms over her chest.

“Don’t leave me out!” she said.

The three laughed, not fully understanding the gravity of such a promise. But they promised nevertheless. They’d sworn a vow to one another to protect each other from harm. And in letting Alice be taken away by the Integrity Knight that day six years ago, they’d broken that promise to her. They wouldn’t let that happen again, though.

I smiled and pressed my forehead to Eugeo’s. This time, I would keep my promise. No matter what, I was going to protect him. I would treasure him and keep him close to my heart, never forgetting what we shared. As I melted into his embrace, fully accepting this past I’d forgotten, I felt myself slowly drifting off back to the real world.

The weight of my body returned. I could feel the mattress beneath my body. Selka must have gotten someone to help her bring Eugeo and myself back to town. Groaning, I opened my eyes slowly. It was twilight. I lay there for a moment, feeling a bit hazy, but then I picked myself up and looked around. No one was in the room watching me. I slipped out of the bed. My head felt a bit light. I pressed a hand to the side of it and glared over at the door. I probably needed something to eat.

I’d given Eugeo my Life in the hopes that he could be healed from his grave injury. I doubted he was here at the church, but a small part of me hoped that he was still here instead of back at his home. It would be easier to have Selka monitor his condition, after all. But I feared he was likely back at home with his family. I wanted to reach him now, just in case the memories faded away again.

Without stopping to look for shoes or day clothes, I headed out into the hallway and tiptoed around, searching for someone who might be awake. No one seemed to be up upstairs, so I crept down the stairs to the sanctuary and peered into the open space. Candlelight shone at the far end of the room, illuminating orange hair in the darkness. I straightened up and hurried over to her. She sat up straighter and turned around gasping.

“K-Kirito!” she exclaimed. “You shouldn’t be on your feet! You were out for quite a while and probably need something to eat!”

I shook my head. That had to wait until later. This was an urgent matter in my head now.

“Where’s Eugeo?” I asked.

She stared up at me, bewildered.

“Kirito, please, do go back and lay down!” she insisted.

Forgetting my manners, I grasped her by the shoulders and locked eyes with her. She let out a yelp of surprise. I didn’t blame her. I was crossing lines. But I needed her to know that I was serious about this.

“Selka,” I said. “Please. Tell me where I can find Eugeo. It’s important.”

Our eyes stayed locked for a moment. She bit down on her lips, but I could still see them quivering as she thought of whether or not she should tell me. Her eyes moved away from mine, staring down at the floor to the side of us. I gave her shoulders a gentle squeeze. She lifted her head back up.

“Please,” I said again.

Selka sighed.

“Eugeo is at home,” she said. “We took him home to his family to rest. I don’t know that he’s woken up yet. I’ve been up worried about you both. Please, don’t do anything rash. I know it was a difficult thing—”

I shook my head.

“I have something I have to tell him,” I told her. “Where is his home?”

She frowned but gave me fairly decent directions to get to Eugeo’s family’s home. It was closer to the outskirts of the village, since his family owned a farm. I thanked her for telling me and dashed out of the church, shouting an apology to her for not going back to bed. She must have been so frustrated with me, but I couldn’t wait. I knew those memories were likely the ones that had been blocked by Rath. If I waited, they’d melt back into my subconsciousness again, and I’d be none the wiser.

The air was a bit brisk in the early morning in Rulid. It stung my lungs as I gulped it down. I didn’t care. I sped through the streets, running over the directions in my head a hundred times. My mind should have been focused on what I’d say when I finally arrived at their doorstep, asking to see their son, if he was awake yet. Or I should have thought about what I wanted to say to Eugeo himself, when I finally got to speak to him.

By the time I reached Eugeo’s family’s home, I felt like my lungs were going to burst. I took a brief moment to catch my breath, but the air felt so thin. My nerves were getting to me. I lifted one shaky hand and forced myself to knock on the door. My heart started to pound in my chest. I couldn’t take back that action. I was already here, requesting entrance to his home. A fearful thought inside of me hoped that Eugeo was still sleeping and healing up from the injury. But the door opened up, revealing the face of a concerned-looking woman with rounded cheeks and familiar flaxen hair.

“Can…can I help you?” she asked. “It’s awful early. Is there an emergency?”

I drew in a breath. I was still gasping.

“Eugeo…I need…to see…Eugeo…” I managed.

She seemed confused for a moment. I finally straightened myself back up, getting my breathing back to a normal pace. Her eyebrows lifted. She put her hand over her mouth and let out a slight gasp. She was suddenly nodding and beckoning me inside of her home. I was surprised that I’d been let inside so easily, but I had to remind myself that these people were much more trusting because of their Taboo Index.

“He woke up just a while ago,” she said softly. “You’re the boy who helped him rescue Selka, right? I think he’d like to see you. To know you’re alright, too.”

I smiled at her and dipped my head.

“Of course,” I said. “I’d like to see him, too.”

Smiling softly, she turned and had me follow her into a hallway. The house seemed rather spacious for a poor family. I had to remind myself that this was all just a simulation. Things weren’t going to necessarily be true to form nor were they going to fit my own personal idea of what a farming family’s home might look like in a fantasy world with goblins and spells. She pointed to a closed door and patted me on the arm. Her eyes gave me a silent thanks as she brushed past me to disappear into another room.

I murmured a thanks to her as well. I drew in a deep breath. How much longer did I have to say what was burning in my chest? I didn’t know. I pressed the door open and poked my head inside. Eugeo was sitting up in the bed, staring out of the window to his right. He must have heard the door open, because he turned his head to look at me. He gave me that innocent, warm smile as I entered the room.

“There you are,” he said. “I was wondering if you were awake.”

I took a few steps forward and clenched my fists.

“Eugeo, back in the cave, I remembered something,” I said.

He nodded.

“I know,” he said. “I remembered it, too. You and I…”

He didn’t have to say it.

“And what do you want to do about that?” he asked me.

Swallowing, I approached his bedside and sat down so close to him that I think for a moment, he was surprised. It was hard to tell in the dim twilight, but his cheeks changed color. He was blushing. I reached my hand up to touch his face. Just like in my dream, his cheek was warm and soft to the touch. I leaned my head forward and pressed my forehead against his. Our bangs brushed against one another’s noses, tickling us a bit.

“I think…I think I want to kiss you…” I said, almost in a whisper.

I could practically feel him smiling.

“May I?” I asked.

Instead of answering me, Eugeo adjusted the angle of his head just enough so that he could slip his lips into mine. In that moment, we could remember everything about one another and our special bond. I could feel the memories fading, just as Rath intended them to, but the one thing that stayed constant was the gentle pressure of Eugeo’s lips against mine.

They could take away our memories. But they could never sever our bond. 


End file.
